Healing Hogwarts
by test-subject-19
Summary: Two new students, Helly and Gee enter Hogwarts in their 7th year with unusual magical abilities. Hogwarts is in a state of ruin from the Second Wizarding War and the two friends will try to fix it and the people within. However there could be too many problems for them to solve. Draco Malfoy and OC. George Weasley and OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not, and will never unfortunately own any of these characters or places. If you see anything you recognize from the books, it's the work of the marvelous J. , not me. I make no profit other than my happiness from writing this story.

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

"_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat__  
__And I can top them all.__  
__There's nothing hidden in your head__  
__The Sorting Hat can't see,__  
__So try me on and I will tell you_  
_Where you ought to be." – The Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone._

Another school year had started at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat spotted several familiar faces amongst the sea of students sitting in the Great Hall. It chuckled to itself as it glimpsed the Potter boy surrounded by his Gryffindor friends. Yes, that boy did do well in Gryffindor after all, the old hat mused to itself. Brave he was, taking on He Who Must Not Be Named alone, and even braver to come back to Hogwarts after. That boy, along with his friends would have a hard time catching up with all the work required for N.E.W.T.S together with dealing with the aftermath of the Second Wizarding War.

The Sorting Hat smiled in its own peculiar way as it caught sight of the Potter boy's sidekicks. Miss Granger would have no problem catching up intellectually the hat thought, adding: she has a wit to rival most Ravenclaws. However, the hat's odd smile drooped as it beheld the boy under that ginger mop of hair. Ahh... it thought, envisioning a hard year for that one. The Weasley boy was not renowned for his brain.

The hat's thoughts stilled as silence fell across the Great Hall.

Minerva McGonagall strode into the Hall, leading a terrified group of first years. Sniggers could be heard echoing through the vast room as one tripped and fell flat on his round, red face. The Headmistress, abandoning her position at the front of the throng, helped the tiny boy back onto his nervous, shuffling feet. She then cast a disapproving glare over the students, namely the tall red-headed boy who was whispering into his black-haired friend's ear.

Harry smirked as Ron finished betting which house that clumsy boy would be in. Hufflepuff for certain.

Hermione sent the boys a reprimanding look before her face softened as her ginger-haired boyfriend winked at her saucily from across the table.

Their attention was turned back to the Headmistress as she called the name of the first child to be sorted. Abi Acker came forward and sat on the wooden stool, eyes darting around nervously. The Sorting Hat was placed onto her small head and pondered for a moment before declaring, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuffs cheered as the blushing first-year joined their midst.

The sorting carried on with each table showing their approval as each child was placed into their house, Gryffindor being the most vocal. Slytherin's applause was rather subdued.

"Ernie Wiffles!"

Anticipation fell upon the tables as the boy who had fallen over approached the stool. Harry and Ron exchanged glances as the sweating boy placed the hat on his head. After a moment's pause, where the two boys at the Gryffindor table chanted under their breath, "Hufflepuff, it's gonna be Hufflepuff..."

The Sorting Hat seemed to relish the anxious attention cast upon it as it rose dramatically before bellowing, "Slytherin!"

Many people's jaws dropped to hit their tables as Ernie Wiffles stumbled over to the green and silver bannered table.

The few Slytherins on that table clapped half-heartedly as the boy sat amongst them.

"Hey there aren't very many Slytherins here, are there?"

"Congratulations for noticing, Ronald," Hermione snapped sarcastically.

"Yeah, did you think many would come back? I mean after the war and all. Most of their parents are in Azkaban- I doubt any of them will show their faces in public again," Harry added, "I'm just surprised Malfoy came back. His dad's in it pretty bad after all the crimes he committed."

The threesome turned to look at the miserable blond who was flicking his thumbs against each other in an attempt to look casual.

All three fell into a contemplative silence before dragged their eyes to the front of the Hall where the sorting had finished. However Professor McGonagall still had an announcement.

"Each and every one of these first-years have been put into their houses. Yet, the sorting is not over." The students muttered to their companions in confusion. The Headmistress continued.

"We have two... transfer students, entering in their seventh year. Now they are... a little different in their ways of magic, but nevertheless must still have a house to belong to. Heloise Pearle, Guinevere Wynters!" Professor McGonagall called out. The school waited with bated breath, before two girls emerged.


	2. Chapter 2: Quartered

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I own none of these characters, places, events etc. Anything you recognize is J. 's and not mine. I do this for the pleasure of writing and get no profit from this. Yada Yada.

**Author's note:** I'm going on holiday for a week tomorrow (to Norfolk, if anyone's interested) so I thought I'd update today instead of next Saturday when I come back. I'm planning on updating on Fridays, but maybe on Saturday if there are unusual circumstances! On with the story...

**Chapter 2: Quartered**

"_The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing."- Severus Snape, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

The boys in the Hall sighed in pleasure as they took in their looks. One had dark, straight hair, flowing beyond her waist, with startling blue eyes. Her uniform skirt was hiked high on her slim waist, showcasing endless, slender legs.

The other girl sported blue, spiky hair which complemented her bright green eyes. However, under the Headmistress's stern gaze, her hair lost its vibrant colour, turning instead to a tawny gold which stretched past her curvaceous hips. Her skirt too was mid-thigh, allowing the boys' eyes to rest upon her shapely legs where they rose to peek at the girl's round breasts, which pushed the jumper clinging to them taut.

The dark-haired girl opened her mouth. "Please God, don't call us that. I'm Helly."

The golden-headed girl spoke too, "Yes, and I'm Gee."

Professor McGonagall's eyebrow rose, questioning the audacity of the two women standing before her.

"Well, Miss Pearle, if you would, please sit on the stool and allow our Sorting Hat to place you in a house."

Helly, moved across the Hall, sending a glance back to her friend before sitting on the stool. The battered hat was placed on her head, where it immediately began talking.

"Hmm... An interesting one. I wonder... maybe? No, that wouldn't do. You have ambition, that's for sure... will defend those you love fiercely... Very proud, too..."

The hat trailed into a long silence, broken a few minutes later by the girl underneath it asking, "Are you done picking my brain apart or will you put me into a house already?"

Her snarky comment was met with snickers form the student body and seemed to rouse the hat from its ponderous thoughts.

"Well, with that attitude and dry wit, there's only house for you- Slytherin!"

Most of the male population let out an audible groan as Helly sat down at the hated Slytherin table.

Seamus Finnigan leant over to Harry, Ron and Hermione, muttering, "That Gee girl better get into Gryffindor- we need a new hot body too!"

Harry and Ron chuckled in agreement but soon stopped as Hermione kicked them both.

"You should be ashamed! You both have girlfriends!" She exclaimed, giving Ron a particularly venomous look. He quivered and paled, turning his concentration back to the final sorting.

That 'Gee girl' in question was approaching the hat with quivering knees.

Gee sat upon the wooden stool, as the Sorting Hat was placing upon her head. She jumped as it cried out loudly, "Merlin's beard! Aren't you fascinating? Traits from all four houses- not one more distinguishable than the others! Loyal and hardworking, a remarkable intellect- you'll give Miss Granger a run for her money!"

Hermione shifted slightly in her seat, looking uncomfortable.

The hat carried on, "Rather ambitious too, crafty, proud and brave as the proverbial lion! Now could I... Well, perhaps... but no, surely? Or... However... But possible? Merlin's saggy socks!" The hat bellowed before lapsing into silence once more. As the minutes passed by and not a peep had been heard from the hat, Gee fidgeted awkwardly on the stool.

McGonagall prompted the old hat. "Well?"

"It's no good, Headmistress. Her brain... I've never seen a mind more complex. She must choose for herself."

All eyes focused on the girl seated on the stool.

"Well, I would say I'd pick it out of a hat... But even the hat's not particularly decisive!" Gee attempted a joke. No one laughed, but a few smiled.

She turned to the Headmistress for help. "I don't know anything about these houses! I barely knew Hogwarts existed a week ago!"

The Headmistress nodded in acknowledgement. She laid a bony hand on the young woman's shoulder for reassurance. Her brow drew down as she thought for a moment, but then the old witch's face brightened as she thought of a solution. She turned to the shocked faces in front of her.

"Miss Wynters will spend a week in each house. It is your duty to imprint your house's values and morals upon her and impress her over. Even while she is not spending time in your house you must still be attempting to win her over. At the end of the month, Miss Wynters will pick a house." Turning, she addressed Gee. "You will start with Hufflepuff; move to Ravenclaw, then to Slytherin and finally to Gryffindor. May the best house win!"

McGonagall's tone brooked no argument. Gee walked to the yellow and black table, meanwhile searching for her friend amongst the Slytherins. Gee caught a quick glimpse of Helly, and she sent Gee a cheeky wink and disappeared again.

The Headmistress gave a short speech, welcoming the old years back, congratulating them on surviving the war, took a minute silence to reflect on and remember those lost, reminded all of the students of the forbidden areas of the castle and surrounding grounds, and finally bid them to eat.

Looking down at the empty tables, Gee wondered what they should eat. The wood, perhaps? Then, she almost leapt out of her seat as multiple dishes appeared in front of her.

This magic business was going to take some time getting used to, Gee mused, as she reached for the roasted potatoes.


	3. Chapter 3: In The Badger's Tunnels

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and no one in this story, sob sob, everything is Rowling's, boohoo, I make no profit from this, la di da.

**Chapter 3: In The Badger's Tunnels**

_"You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
_Where they are just and loyal,_  
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
_And unafraid of toil." -Sorting Hat, The Philosopher's Stone._

After dinner, Gee was taken aside by Hogwarts' Head Boy, a Hufflepuff named Ernie MacMillan. He guided her down to the lower levels of the castle, into a corridor Gee was told was close to the kitchens.

As Ernie, Gee and a group of gossiping fourth-years and fifth-years rounded a corner, the Head Boy whispered into Gee's ear, "This is our entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room."

Gee looked around. What on earth was the boy talking about? It was just an empty corridor- there was no door or entrance in sight. Ernie noticed Gee's confusion, laughed and led her to a shadowy stones recess, where a pile of large wooden barrels were stacked.

One of the fourth-years stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the barrel second from the bottom, in the middle of the second row. She turned to Gee and giggled, "Be careful when you do that! You have to tap the right rhythm- tap in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'. If you tap the wrong rhythm or the wrong barrel, another barrel will pop open and drench you in vinegar!" She shuddered. "It took me ages to get the smell out in my first-year..."

Gee and Ernie chuckled, but Gee made a resolution to only enter the Common Room with another Hufflepuff entering the code. She didn't fancy being showered in the sour-smelling, acidic condiment.

Gee ducked into the opening the barrel left her and found it widened into an earthy tunnel, about five foot high, making Gee and the other Hufflepuffs stoop to get through. As they passed through, Ernie kept up their one-sided conversation.

"A lot of people discredit Hufflepuff- everyone seems to think we're the house which produces all the lesser talented witches and wizards! But that's not true, just because we follow the same set of values our founder, Helga Hufflepuff laid down, of accepting any student, regardless of grades or sporting prowess.

"We just want our house members to be hard-working, patient, loyal and to always to play fairly. We are certainly the least boastful house, and the least competitive house, but to produce influential witches and wizard? Tollywobble.

"From our house, we've produced the most popular Minister of Magic – that's Grogan Stump, then there's the _world's _authority on magical creatures, Newt Scamander! Then there's the man who founded Hogsmeade itself, Hengist of Woodcroft! Not forgetting the inventor of the Self-Soaping Dishcloth! So for others to say we are the worst house is... ridiculous!"

Ernie had worked himself into quite a state at this point. He seemed to have run a marathon, Gee thought, with his red, profusely sweating face. He looked to Gee, expecting her to be equally enraged at the perceptions of modern society. Gee nodded comfortingly, as she didn't know what else to do, not understanding any of the names of titles Ernie had just been talking about.

But thankfully, Gee was saved by their arrival at the end of the tunnel.

Gee instantly liked the look of this Common Room. It was a spacious, round room with rather low ceilings. It gave off a cosy vibe, enhanced by the polished wooden floors with the invitingly plush yellow and black patterned sofas and armchairs which were scattered through the pleasant room. Melodious singing emanated from one of the several intriguing plants decorating the many shelves and tables.

One of these plants was being tended by a pretty blonde who upon catching sight of their new arrivals, immediately rushed over and started chastising Ernie.

"You haven't been ranting to her, have you? You'll scare her right off!" She berated.

Ernie had the grace to flush further and murmur apologies.

The blonde turned to Gee. "Hi, I'm Hannah Abbot."

"Gee." The two girls smiled at each other. Hannah took Gee's hand and led her to the big, round door in one of the walls of the Common Room, muttering into Gee's ear, "I'm sorry about Ernie. He's become such a bore since he got his Head Boy badge. We're not all that bad!"

The two boys chuckled and Hannah pulled Gee into a right-hand side door marked by a sign which read, 'Seventh and Eighth Year Dormitory,

Boys Keep Out or Beware the Bubotuber Pus!'

Gee shook her head in amusement. She had no idea what bubotuber pus was, but it didn't sound nice.

"Now, you must be tired after all the excitement today, so here's your bed," Hannah clucked in a matronly manner. She guided Gee to a low wooden bed with quilted sheets and burnished copper adornments.

"Your trunk should be here... Perhaps the house elves didn't know where to put it. Winky!" Hannah called.

Gee was startled when a loud pop resonated through the room, and a rather peculiar creature appeared. It had large ears and bulbous eyes with a tomato-shaped nose. Its modesty was covered only by a grubby handkerchief.

"Yes Mistress Abbot?" it asked in a high squeaky voice.

"Hannah crouched down and asked in a soft, friendly voice, "Do you know where Mistress Wynters trunk is? She's staying here for a week."

"Oh, of course, Mistress Abbot! Winky will go get Mistress Wynters trunk right away!"

Hannah thanked the creature, and it disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later holding Gee's suitcase above its head.

It placed it where Hannah directed, bowed subserviently, and vanished once more.

Gee closed her mouth after the shock had faded, dressed for bed and bade goodnight to her new roommates who had greeted her with a great deal of enthusiasm and curiosity.

Gee laid down on her comfortable bed and allowed her mind to drift as her body relaxed.

Her last thought was, 'I wonder how Helly's getting on with the Slytherins. If they're as nice as the Hufflepuffs then she in for a good year...'

Little did she know just how welcoming the Slytherins were being.


	4. Chapter 4: Partying with the Snakes

**Disclaimer:** S'not mine, it's Rowling's, I'm gonna go cry in a corner.

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's such a long one, I'm a Slytherin soooo yeah. I like writing about them :D And YES. IT'S DRACO.

Additionally, sorry it's late, unforeseeable circumstances etc etc.

**Chapter 4: Partying with the Snakes**

"_You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that." –Sorting Hat, The Philosopher's Stone._

Helly was indeed being welcomed thoroughly by the Slytherins.

After she had sat at the green and silver table, and she had watched her friend being not-sorted, Helly had gotten down to the very serious business of eating.

A few Slytherins gaped at her in shock for the sheer amount of food she was cramming down her throat, hardly pausing for breath. However, as their shock faded, they turned back to their meals with the same look of bored disinterest they had been sporting for the past hour on their faces, ignoring Helly and making no effort to make her feel welcome.

Five minutes into Helly's voracious eating, a hand tapped her shoulder. The dark-haired girl spun around, crumbs sprinkled over her pretty cheeks and with her mouth strangely distended to hold in the large volume of food Helly had just shovelled in. A dark-skinned boy with a handsome smirk on his face stood behind her. The corner of his mouth lifted even more as he took in the sight of Helly's food-smeared face. The boy chuckled and sat down.

"You certainly have a hearty appetite, don't you? But we, on the Slytherin table tend to eat with a little more sophistication," allowing his gaze to track over Helly's grubby cheeks, continuing with a note of disgust in his voice, "We leave those kinds of antics to the hooligans on the Gryffindor table."

Helly looked over to the red and gold table, where a great many people, namely the red-headed boy sitting with his two friends, were indeed scooping food into their mouths with their hands, exhibiting the same kind of behaviour Helly had being doing previously.

She blushed as the boy handed her a napkin, knife and a fork as he seated himself on her left.

"Sorry. My name's Helly, Helly Pearle."

"Quite alright. You're our newest recruit, you didn't know the rules. I'm Blaise Zabini, Head of Slytherin, regular heart-breaker and obviously the most handsome and charming guy in Hogwarts," Blaise said, perfectly serious.

Helly grinned at him. She liked this boy almost instantly.

"Blaise, why are there so few Slytherins?" Helly asked, looking at the few gaps on the Slytherin table compared to the other three crammed to bursting tables.

He replied, his tone factual and blunt, "They're either dead or too scared to show their faces."

A pug-faced girl who had been listening intently to Blaise and Helly's conversation chipped in eagerly, "Yeah, but quite a few of them refuse to accept the war is over and that changes are being made in society. I mean, Goyle, from one of the purest bloodlines there is married a Mudblood last week."

"Muggleborn, Pansy. We can't insult them like we used to. New world, remember?" Blaise reprimanded. Pansy sighed and rolled her eyes, but nodded in acknowledgement. She got up and pulled Helly to her feet.

"Come on, dinner's over, I'll take you over to our Common Room."

Helly followed the girl, Pansy, through the maze of twisting corridors, lined with portraits who sneered at the two girls as they passed.

Pansy had begun a monologue, detailing all the punishments most of the Slytherins had to accept.

"My wand's under constant surveillance, if I cast the slightest of offensive spells, even an Expelliarmus, I'll be called into the Ministry for an interrogation. Most of us aren't allowed into Hogsmeade, that's the village near Hogwarts, and the ones who are allowed have Aurors- like the wizarding police- are trailing them. My parents are both in Azkaban, they were minor Death Eaters, stupid idiots, but they've only got ten years, not like Draco's dad, poor sod. He's got the death sentence.

"Anyway, we're monitored by teachers too, in the lessons. I swear, they think we're mad, rampant serial killers or something. I mean, what are we going to do in Divination? Crack a crystal ball over someone's head?"

By this time, the two girls had reached a dead end in the corridor. Helly gave Pansy a confused looks and started to turn back, thinking they were lost. But instead Pansy said, "Acceptance," to the wall and the bricks split in two, revealing a dark, dank passageway.

Helly snorted at the password, looking to Pansy in askance. Pansy rolled her eyes again and told her McGonagall thought she could change the Slytherins' attitude by simply setting some pathetic, flowery passwords.

"The passwords change fortnightly, so look at the notice board in the Common Room every now and again. Here we are!"

Pansy flung herself onto a low-backed dark green leather sofa, watching Helly's reaction to the grand room.

Aside from the sofas, there was very little furniture- just a few polished tables and dark wood cabinets placed artfully around the room, lending it a minimalistic but elegant look. The windows sat into the cold, stone walls were elaborate stained-glass, and gave off a greenish tinge to the room. As Helly looked out of the window, a huge squid appeared, staring in with a giant, inquisitive eyeball. Helly didn't manage to stifle her shriek of shock.

Pansy spun round, startled.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I-uh, that... It's a... What is that thing?!" Helly gestured frantically at the eye still flicking around at the window.

"Oh, that's just the Giant Squid. He pops up every now and then. He's very nice." Seeing that Helly still looked bewildered, Pansy sighed and went on, "Our Common Room is in the dungeons, remember? We extend partially under Hogwarts' lake."

Nerves now under control, Helly continued to examine the room, avoiding the window.

There was a medium-sized fire embedded in the wall, doing its best to counter the chill in the room. Mysterious artefacts were positioned on the tables and the mantelpieces, and Helly noticed quite a few skulls glaring menacingly at her. Upon the cold, stone walls, two moving portraits hung.

The first depicted a tall man, with greying hair and a sophisticated, curling moustache. His green robes were embroidered with the finest silver thread and on his over-bearing face, there was a sneer. His hawk-like obsidian eyes followed Helly around the room. The silver plaque under the portrait read, "Salazar Slytherin, co-founder of Hogwarts."

Helly looked to the second portrait. This one interested her more. In the simple wooden frame stood a man with black, shoulder-length hair, a prominent nose and thin, pale lips. His lanky body was encased fully in black, buttons running down the middle of his frock coat. A white shirt peeked out of his collar and sleeves. But what caught Helly's gaze were the man's eyes. Coloured a deep, fathomless black, they held none of the scorn of his neighbour's, but an underlying compassion.

He spoke.

"Your friend, Gee. Even if she chooses another house to Slytherin, don't lose her. Don't let another claim her or you'll live to regret it."

Helly looked below his portrait. The plaque simply said, "Severus Snape."

Helly nodded in acknowledgement but felt a little confused. Was that a warning?

However, her troubled thoughts were soon forgotten as Blaise Zabini and the rest of Slytherin house burst from the passageway, holding some several bottles aloft.

"To celebrate our new arrivals, your charming, delectable and generous Head of Slytherin declares tonight to be a party! Hand out the fire whisky, boys!"

After Blaise's speech, many people cheered, looking the happiest Helly had ever seen a Slytherin.

Pansy ambled over to where Helly was standing, Blaise in tow, both holding goblets. Blaise pressed one of the goblets into Helly's hands and urged her to drink the golden liquid.

Helly tipped her head back, swallowing the fiery liquid and wincing slightly as it burned its way down her throat.

After the third or fourth goblet of this liquid, Helly couldn't remember which, the throat-burning seemed to vanish, and she felt rather light-headed.

Pansy, just as intoxicated as her new friend, waved her wand and loud, thumping music reverberated around the dungeon room. The girls soon cleared a space in the middle of the room and began dancing wildly. Others joined them, and soon, the whole room was filled with dancing teenagers. Arms and legs flailed, hitting all surrounding people.

Helly made her way around the room with a giggling Pansy who encouraged her to make out with every available male who looked her way.

A loud clearing of the throat noise interrupted Helly's very enjoyable kissing session with a cute chestnut-haired boy Helly didn't know the name of. His hands kept wandering but Helly didn't particularly mind as the sensations he was causing were very enjoyable. The loud noise repeated again and Helly turned in annoyance to the source of it.

Blaise stood on one of the larger tables. His eyes locked on Helly.

"May I introduce our newest Slytherin, Helly Pearle!"

Wolf whistles accompanied Helly as she swayed toward the makeshift stage. Blaise held out a hand to help her onto it. He jumped off, flicked his wand and a new song replaced the last one. This one had a more sensual melody to it with a distinctive beat.

Helly smiled wolfishly and ran her hands down her body, hips moving enticingly to the beat. All eyes were on her. Helly caught sight of a few boys (and girls) actually drooling.

She pushed her ass out and bent down seductively, lightly trailing her fingertips up her long legs, flipping her hair over her shoulder. When she reached her ass, she slapped it hard. Raising her arms above her head, she twisted her body in time to the music. She danced like this for the next few minutes, enjoying herself immensely.

Other girls had taken advantage of the stunned boys, grabbing the heads and pulling them in for a kiss.

Helly continued dancing until a sudden jolt startled her. A drunken Slytherin had fallen into her table and knocked Helly off her feet.

Helly's arms wind milled and her mouth was round with shock. She felt herself falling, and falling, air rushing past her...

...Until strong, muscular arms caught her. Helly caught her breath and looked up into a pair of intense, stormy eyes, surrounded by a sharp, angular face. Platinum blond hair shone in the low light.

"Clear out. Slughorn and McGonagall are on their way to investigate," Helly's saviour said in a low, gruff voice.

Mayhem descended. The music stopped and people ran around, trying to clear up the room before the Headmistress and Slytherin's Head of House appeared. Half-full goblets of whisky vanished, sofas and tables were pushed back into place and girls and boys legged it up the two flights of stairs.

Helly was dumped unceremoniously onto her feet and the blonde stalked away, up the stairs, without so much as a glance back.

Helly stood as he had left her, feeling lost and dazed, still slightly drunk. Pansy sighted her and wrapped her fingers around Helly's wrist, pulling her up the stairs, and upon rounding them, almost threw her into a dormitory labelled, "Eighth and Seventh Years. Bog Off!"

Pansy pointed her to an ancient four-poster bed surrounded by green silk hangings. Even in her drunken stupor, Helly admired the elegant beauty of the room before tumbling into bed, fully-clothed.

The sound of water lapping against the windows lulled Helly to sleep. She smiled and hoped Gee had fun with the Hufflepuffs.

Slytherin is definitely the best house, Helly giggled to herself before falling into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter 5: Herbology

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never was, never will be. I make no money from writing this.

**Author's Note:** I'm uploading in Saturdays now- begun school again therefore have no time on Fridays. I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are mine!

And, what do you think Helly's and Gee's magic is? Please review- thanks to heronlove for reviewing!

**Chapter 5: Herbology**

"_Morning, everyone._

_Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Professor Sprout." _– Herbology Class, Hogwarts, 1992.

After a pleasant breakfast with the Hufflepuffs, Gee was taken outside by Hannah, who had appointed herself as Gee's guide.

"We've got Herbology now. This has to be my favourite subject! Professor Sprout, our teacher, is Hufflepuff's Head of House so she's always extra nice to us! The only bad side of it is that we have to share with the Slytherins too."

Gee didn't mind this at all. She'd get to see Helly- Gee hadn't seen her since the feast and didn't know how she'd gotten on with her new house.

The group of Hufflepuffs, including Gee, reached the greenhouses. Professor Sprout welcomed them in with a smile and clapped Gee on the shoulder.

"Hello! I'm Professor Sprout. You're Gee, aren't you? Mmh, good. Find a place at the table."

But Gee had sighted her friend and had run toward Helly with a huge grin on her face, totally disregarding Professor Sprout's words. The two girls squealed and hugged each other, both talking at the same time at an unusually high frequency.

"How was Hufflepuff? Was it-"

"Did you like Slytherin? What happen-"

They giggled before receiving a reprimanding look from the Herbology teacher. They settled down, arranged to talk at lunch and Gee went to stand amongst the other Hufflepuffs on the other side of the greenhouse.

The lesson proceeded with no trouble; they had been set a relatively simple task- to milk the venom of a Spider Rose. After getting over the initial shock of a plant which snapped at you and growled when you got near it, the students began stroking the spines of the plant, making it relax which allowed the student to extract the venom by pinching a gland near the plant's "mouth"- a hole with approximately seven hundred sharp teeth in it.

All beakers were soon full of the electric-blue, gelatinous ooze which Sprout said she would then take and give it to Madam Pomfrey for re-growing limbs, seeing as Ivy Jarvin had had an unfortunate incident with one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts, leaving her without one of her own ends- namely an arm.

But all eyes were turned to Gee, whose Spider Rose was almost comatose, melted in a puddle purring incessantly as Gee ran her fingers up and down it's thick stem, crooning to it. Her beaker was overflowing as her plant drooled the venom onto the table.

Realizing she was being watched, Gee looked up. She smiled self-consciously at the looks of stunned wonder her classmates were giving her.

"What? I like plants." She protested.

Professor Sprout hurried over to where Gee stood, still stroking the Rose.

"Show me how you did that!"

Gee guided her teacher's hands along the plant, muttering instructions.

Questioning glances turned to Helly.

"She's always been like that. Give her a dead flower and she'd nurse it back to full bloom in minutes. Like that with animals too. They love her- I once had a gerbil that bit everyone who touched it (gave me an infection once!), but then Gee held it and it clambered all over her, trying to get her attention. Sickening, really. I gave it to her, for the good of everyone's limbs." Helly said, a smile softening her words.

Professor Sprout bustled past them, a tray of the venom in her hands, mumbling to herself. She pushed her way out the door, not concentrating at all on her students.

"Well, I guess that's the lesson over," laughed Gee, who had re-joined her classmates after washing her hands. She linked arms with Hannah and Helly and walked off, her golden hair tumbling down her back.

The other Slytherins and Hufflepuffs shook themselves and followed the girls back to the castle. There, they split. The Slytherins had potions with Gryffindor and the Hufflepuffs had Divination with the Ravenclaws.

Gee passed her lesson in a daydream- she had no idea what the mad Professor Trelawney was talking about. Why would it signal her untimely end if her tea-leaves were in the shape of a boat?

Helly's lesson however, did not go quite as peacefully as Gee's.

Deep in the lower levels of the castle, the Slytherins and Gryffindors stood separately, for once not exchanging their customary insults.

Helly was confused at the sullen atmosphere. Why were both houses so miserable? Even the Hufflepuffs got on with the Slytherins in Herbology, making jokes and having fun.

She whispered her question to Pansy, who stood beside her.

"Our Potions Master, Professor Snape, died in the War. He was a good teacher- mean, greasy bat, but he made us get the best grades. He was like, a triple agent or something in the War. He had to be a Death Eater, while reporting to Dumbledore and feeding false information to Voldemort.

"I guess we're a bit down due to the fact we have to put up with the slimy git, Slughorn."

The Potions classroom doors opened and the two houses went into the dark, dingy classroom. Professor Slughorn stood at the front of the room, bidding a warm welcome to all his students, singling Helly out to give her a lecherous wink.

Helly shuddered in disgust. Slimy git, indeed. She seated herself next to Pansy and chatted to her for a few minutes while Slughorn arranged ingredients on his desk.

The classroom's doors were suddenly flung open once again. In the doorway stood the boy who had saved Helly last night. The low light from the Slytherin Common Room hadn't done his looks any justice. He looked even better now, impossible as that sounded. His school robes fluttered around him and his grey eyes searched the room. When his intense gaze landed on Helly his brow furrowed. Her eyes were locked onto his and she couldn't move a muscle.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy! Here at last. Don't worry; Gregory's saved you a seat."

Slughorn's nasal tones broke the tension which stretched between the two Slytherins like a rope.

Malfoy averted his eyes and walked to his seat stiffly. He sat down beside the tall, broad boy and turned his concentration to the Potions Master. The lesson then began, almost as if Slughorn had been waiting for Malfoy's appearance and attention.

Slughorn coughed and indicated the ingredients on his desk.

"Today I will be demonstrating how to make Hair of Dog. This is to cure hangovers, which is precisely what some of my Slytherins need after last night, eh?" Slughorn broke off in chuckles. "It's quite an easy potion, but the amount of volatile ingredients means it would be safer for me to demonstrate it. I know old Snape would make you do it first, but we're doing it safe in this class!" His wide grin was met with a disapproving stony silence where both Gryffindor and Slytherin glared at the old teacher.

"Well then..." Slughorn mumbled. He proceeded to begin the potion, sometimes asking his students questions about the brewing process, which Hermione Granger invariably answered.

Through the class, Helly couldn't take her eyes off the blonde sitting at a few rows ahead. Pansy noticed the direction of her friend's gaze and nudged her with her elbow. Helly started, but then smiled back at Pansy.

"Who is that blonde? The one that caught me last night? Is he single?" Helly whispered, her eyes still focused on the back of the blonde's head. Pansy laughed quietly, so as not to disturb Slughorn's lecture.

"That's Draco Malfoy. His dad was a major Death Eater, well up on the social ladder. The Malfoys used to influence all of Hogwarts' and the Ministry's decisions but now his father's in Azkaban, facing the death penalty.

"Draco's single, but he's got major baggage. He's only just been acquitted by the Ministry of Magic. They said he was pressured into all his crimes- apparently Voldemort threatened to kill all his family if he didn't. He's got wand restriction and no Hogsmeade too but beside that, he's a free man. Free, but completely messed up."

Pansy's warning didn't sink through to Helly.

"Draco Malfoy." Helly rolled the name around her tongue, testing out the sound of it.

Almost as if he had heard her, the boy in question turned and glared at Helly. His expression softened however when he saw the small smile playing around Helly's lips his own mouth quirked in response before he tamped down on it, schooling his expression back to the fierce scowl.

A loud, popping noise from the cauldron distracted Draco long enough for Helly to be able to look away. The end of Slughorn's monologue drifted toward them.

"...and that sound indicates the potion is done. If you continue the heat after the pop you'll cause a huge explosion, which wouldn't be good for the hangover we're trying to cure, eh?" Slughorn finished his lesson with a weak joke to which no one except the Professor himself laughed.

His attempt at winning over his class by giving them his brewed hangover potion and winking conspiratorially saying, "Best we don't tell Professor McGonagall though, eh? Don't want her thinking I'm encouraging irresponsible behaviour!" with a forced jovial chuckle.

Helly made to leave the classroom for lunch in the Great Hall, but Slughorn pulled her aside by grabbing her elbow. Looking back at him, puzzled, she saw Draco Malfoy on the Potion Master's other side, wearing a look of pained annoyance on his furrowed face.

Slughorn, noting the dark look on the young man's face, quickly began talking.

"Now, Helly, you have no experience with Potions, so why the Headmistress still insists on you take N.E.W.T level Potions is beyond me, a catastrophe waiting to happen, I must say, but nevertheless, I must abide by Professor Mcgonagall's wishes. I simply do not have time to bring you up to speed so I am hoping to enlist the help of one of my brightest young brewer. What do you have to say to that, eh boy?

"So, Draco, would you have the pleasure of tutoring Miss Pearle here? A young man like you can't turn down an offer like that, hm? Having to spend a lot of time with such a beautiful young girl could never be a hardship. Not to mention the extra credit for taking on this task?"

Draco, who had looked on the verge of running away and never coming back, considered Slughorn's last bribe. His exam results were evidently very important to him. He looked back at Slughorn, then at Helly. She felt herself flush at his concentrated look and once again her gaze jumped to his and stuck. She stretched her mind out unconsciously and- NO! Helly mentally slapped herself. She'd promise Gee she wouldn't.

Draco had come to a conclusion. He gave a sharp nod to Slughorn.

"Meet me in the library tomorrow at lunch. Don't be late."

The blonde then strode away, giving Helly a good view of his nicely shaped arse.

Suddenly nervous to be in a classroom alone with Slughorn, Helly hurriedly gathered her books and rushed out the classroom.

As she was nearing the Great Hall, a hand shot out of an alcove and dragged her into the darkness. A familiar giggle followed.

"Hi Gee!"

"Why weren't you with the other Slytherins coming in for lunch? Were you too thick- did the teacher ask you to stay behind?" Gee joked, a smile softening her harsh words.

Helly laughed. "Bull's eye. He asked another student, a bloke, to tutor me. He thinks I'm a disaster waiting to happen."

"Well, he's got a point. You set our house on fire when you tried to make cupcakes! Imagine that with volatile ingredients- Britain will cease to exist! But anyway, you said the tutor was a guy. What's he like?" Gee inquired.

"A sullen pain in_ my _arse, but damn, _his_ arse is hot. He's called Draco Malfoy."

"Is he interested?"

"Don't know, he doesn't like showing emotions much. But he's gorgeous enough to make up for his lacking in emotional intelligence. Muscled, too. We had an awesome party in the Slytherin Common Room, I got a little drunk, started dancing on a table, fell off and he caught me! I nearly died, I had so much blood going to my head with all my blushing!"

Ge quizzed her friend more on this Draco boy's good looks but then grew more serious.

"Have you... told anyone yet? Apart from my little stint in Herbology, no one has any idea what I can do."

Her friend replied, tone also grave, "No, I haven't either. They'll be freaked out if we do I think. But we've got to soon, even McGonagall told us we can show people."

"Do it together? Maybe tomorrow, we have Transfiguration together.

Helly agreed, and the two girls after unburdening all their gossip, Gee having little- the Hufflepuffs were so far not the most exciting of people, headed toward the Great Hall. They split, reached their respective tables, each looking forward to, and equally dreading the next day.


	6. Chapter 6: Revelations

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize is J.K Rowling's, not mine. I make no profit from the writing of this story.

**Author's Note: **It's a day late, I know, I'm sorry! In my town we had a festival yesterday, where middle-aged men dress up like Romans and march around, so naturally I had to go down and laugh at them. Sorry again for the lateness.

**Chapter 6: Revelations**

"_It is my belief... that the truth is generally preferable to lies."_ –Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Gee and Helly both woke to the next day with a terrible nervous anticipation settling in their stomachs. They dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As the girls caught sight of each other, they gave the other a look betraying their feelings.

Today was the day they would reveal their own specific brand of magic, showing what outcasts they were in the modern wizarding world.

The girls both ate a small breakfast, fearing it would come back up and coat their housemates in barely digested food and stomach acid.

The minutes seemed to fly past, and it seemed almost no time had passed by as the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins took their seats at the Transfiguration classroom's tables. For once, Helly and Gee didn't sit with their houses, but instead chose to stay together, hands clasped together to offer reassurance to the other.

The lesson started as Professor McGonagall told her students to get out their wands. Helly and Gee didn't move. McGonagall began, describing the intricacies of the spell they were going to practice- human transfiguration.

Helly smiled. McGonagall was crafty, she thought, nudging Gee who broke out in giggles. All eyes turned to them, including a set of stormy grey ones. Gee looked to Helly for confirmation that the owner of those eyes was the infamous Draco Malfoy. Helly nodded and they turned to Draco, simultaneously giving him a cheeky wink. Two spots of pale pink appeared high on his sculpted cheekbones.

A light cough from their Professor brought the girls' attention back to the front. No one noticed Draco's stare first linger on Helly, then move to Gee, staying longer there. No one saw Draco shaking himself in shock and turning back to the front hurriedly after examining Gee's countenance for a little longer than was polite.

McGonagall lectured them in the correct pronunciation and wand movements before allowing the students to continue. She then walked to Helly's and Gee's desk on the pretence of checking on the students, slyly dropping two wands on their desk.

The sounds of the spell, "Nunc bestia", filled the air.

Gee looked down at the two wands on their table. She giggled to herself as she reached for the one which was closest. They might as well have a little fun.

Gee raised her wand to her dark-haired companion. "Lotsi-plopsy-triggery-roo!" she chanted.

Helly stretched languorously, feeling her bones reshape painfully. Her jaw ached as a new lower face shape formed, pushing her mouth out as the wrinkled muzzle emerged. Her teeth lengthened and sharpened. She could feel the fur sliding beneath her skin before it erupted, cloth melting in to add to the thick layer of soft hair now covering the girl's body. Claws burst from her hands as they rounded into paws.

The big cat's ears flicked forward. She was in a mischievous mood. Her nose twitched as she scented many humans in the room before catching a fragrance she recognised. Gee. Her Gee. Her human.

The big cat turned and pounced onto the golden-haired girl, letting out a playful growl.

The class turned in surprise. Was Gee so good at magic she could master such a difficult and complex spell on her first try, they thought. She'd managed to turn her friend into a large panther just minutes after learning of the spell.

Mouths agape with shock, the class watched as the large black cat rolled around on the floor with Gee, tussling gently. The cat rubbed its face all over Gee's, marking its scent on the girl while batting her with her huge paws, claws sheathed.

Realizing all the attention was on her, the sleek panther turned, preening. But as a blonde girl leant to help Gee up, the cat sprang forward, ears back, muzzle pulled back in an angry grimace, baring sharp teeth. After the girl retreated, hands up in surrender, the cat circled Gee protectively, growling at anyone who moved.

"Gee, get her under control. She'll tear us apart otherwise," said McGonagall stiffly, trying not to move.

Gee pulled the black panther back from her ever-widening circle's path by the scruff of its neck. She stroked the large cat from the base of its head to its flicking tail, murmuring sweet platitudes. The panther was soothed, purring loudly.

"_**Come back to me, Helly." **_Gee issued the order, staring into the cat's dilated pupils. The class watched with bated breath as the cat's eyes changed from irises full of spun gold and green to a rich sapphire blue. Fingers grew from the round paws. The cat's powerful back legs grew and reshaped to form a human pair. The muzzle pointed, becoming a nose with full, bow-shaped lips beneath. The pointed ears flattened against the head, absorbed into the skull and human ears grew to each side of the head. Helly grimaced in pain, revealing rapidly shrinking teeth. The sleek black fur retreated, leaving Helly's clothes and skin behind.

Soon, Helly stood before the class, dusting from her jumper the few remaining cat hairs.

Pansy was the first to speak.

"Morgana's saggy tit! What else can you do?" In her voice there was a note of admiration.

Helly suddenly looked sheepish. "I can do that for any type of cat, and I can..." She trailed off in desperation, looking to Gee for help.

Gee came to her rescue. "She can read your minds, no matter what defences you have up. Only when she really needs to, mind. She's not going to rifle through your thoughts and secrets."

A rotund, brown-haired male Hufflepuff cried, "But no! She shouldn't be able to do that! Take her away, Headmistress!" A few others nodded in agreement, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs alike.

A cool voice spoke from the back.

"Why? We can do pretty much the same with our wands using Legilimency. I could easily find out what keeps you awake at night or your secret darkest desires. But I don't, for the same reasons Helly doesn't. I don't want to be anywhere near your snivelling, dull-witted mind, Henry- I have better things to do with my time, like staring at a wall."

Sniggers followed Draco's insult and Henry flushed an unattractive maroon colour. Draco didn't miss the admiring glances Helly and Gee gave him.

"Besides, Gee still hasn't told us what she can do." Draco's calm voice once again rung through the room, seeding curiosity in its wake.

A deluge of questions were immediately fired at Gee. She held up an imperious hand, sending silence through the classroom.

"You saw in Herbology my affinity with plants. It's a little more than that. I can control Nature- the four elements, plants, animals and my own body. Like Helly, I can shape shift but fortunately it isn't quite as painful. And as Helly becomes the animal, I keep my mind whilst my body is different."

Helly, who had been rolling her eyes as Gee listed all her problems with her magic. "Yes, whatever Gee. At least I can keep my clothes on."

The boys in the class visibly perked up. Gee's cheeks flushed.

"Shut up, Helly. But, she is right. I can't shift the clothes, so they tend to end up... On the floor. And then, if I shift back, the clothes are still on the floor. And not on me. So, I don't really do it often."

The boys' shoulders slumped.

A voice piped up. "Show us the nature control thing!"

Gee obliged, juggling water bubbles, while Helly who had morphed into a small, black kitten jumped and chased them.

Transfiguration ended on a happy note, students spreading out into the school to tell others of Helly and Gee's awe-inspiring wandless magic. The two girls spun out of the classroom, giddy with happiness.

Helly was soon brought back to Earth however, as a mouth close to her ear whispered, "Lunch in the library."

Helly looked back to see the platinum blonde head of Draco Malfoy bobbing a head higher than the other students in the crowd surrounding him.

How could she have forgotten? She still had her Potions tutorial with Draco at lunch.

One more lesson to go then... Helly's heart plummeted into her stomach from nerves at the thought of spending lunch with the handsome Slytherin.

What would her lunchtime session be like, Helly wondered. Would Draco be the cold young man he seemed to be most of the time, or would the caring side of him break free once more as it did in Transfiguration?

Only time would tell.

**Please review because I'm a Niffler and reviews are like shiny pieces of gold.**


	7. Chapter 7: Being Taught

**Disclaimer: **If you haven't understood yet that this is not mine, then you are as dim-witted as a mountain troll. It's Rowling's.

**Author's Note:** Thank you once again to the loyal heronlove for continuing to review my story, the Gryffindor part is especially for you! I have changed the listing of this from Ron/Hermione to Draco/OC, because I finally realised what OC meant and thought it more appropriate than Romione.

**Chapter 7: Being Taught**

"_I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses..." _Severus Snape, The Philosopher's Stone.

Gee giggled as she pushed Helly off to the library for her Potions tutoring session with the sexy Draco Malfoy.

Helly wasn't by nature a nervous person, she tended to take things by their horns and not let go, so to speak. But the thought of this meeting was giving her butterflies; forget that, elephants in her stomach. Helly just hoped she didn't embarrass herself and vomit in his lap.

Each step she took toward the library was like running a marathon- her feet had turned to lead. As the door to the library approached, Helly stopped and took in deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Why was she so nervous, she asked herself? Yes, Draco was one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen. Yes, his voice sent shivers down her spine. Who cared if every time she saw his shiny blonde locks she wanted to run her fingers through it? He was only a boy. Nothing to be scared of.

However, when Helly caught sight of the young man sitting at the table nearest the window tapping his fingers against the wooden surface, her breath hitched in her throat, coming out as a squeak which echoed in the vast, empty room.

Draco looked up. Helly walked towards the table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"So, Potions," she said.

"Yes. I'm starting you off on Theory to begin with- here." Draco told her as he handed her a thin volume. Helly briefly flicked through the book. It was written in an old-fashioned, spidery hand.

She looked up at Draco and asked, "How old exactly is this book? The handwriting is practically medieval!"

Two pale patches of pink appeared on Draco's high cheekbones. "They're my own notes. The standard books of Potions theory miss out a lot of key points."

Helly hid a small smile at Draco's flush, but began reading his notes carefully, scribbling out a few sentences of her own in her notebook.

Ten minutes had passed as the two sat in silence, Draco writing a Charms essay. Helly paused in her study and blew a strand of hair from her face. She looked to Draco for help.

"What does this say? I either can't understand the terminology or can't decipher your writing."

Draco leant over the table, face close to Helly's as he examined the parchment. Helly tensed, Draco obviously hadn't realised how close he was or he'd have pulled away, she thought. His finger ran down the page to where Helly's pointed.

He looked up to find Helly's sapphire eyes locked on his face. Helly released the breath which had been caught in her throat. Her head pounded, she could feel each vein pulsing with the blood hurtling through them. Her senses were all hyper-aware, if she moved her hand slightly, she'd be touching his skin...

"Mickle shrub."

"What?" Helly sounded more flustered than she'd like to let on.

Draco sat back in his chair, gaze still on Helly. "The term you couldn't read. It's a shrub that grows in December to February under snow. Hard to find. Used in potions to cure infections of wounds."

"Oh. Thank you." Helly looked down and resumed her note taking. Her pen scratching across her paper added to the sound of her study companion's quill on his parchment, echoing through the immense library.

Both students worked in harmony for a few more minutes. Helly found she didn't enjoy Potions at all. The complexity of it- if one tiny mistake was made in the brewing process, then the whole potion would be ruined, any perhaps days worth of effort wasted.

Helly's deliberation was interrupted by a bird tapping at the window. Helly scooted her chair back, what was it doing there? Draco sent her an odd look before opening the window, allowing the warm autumn breeze to flow through. The bird also came through into the library.

Helly could now see it was a regal looking black owl with an official-looking scroll attached to its leg.

Draco pulled the scroll from it, stroked the owl's head and it hooted, flying away. Draco broke the seal on the scroll, unrolled it and began to read. His face became paler and paler as he read on, and his lips pursed tightly, forming a harsh grimace.

He grabbed his work and strode off, pausing to bark over his shoulder, "Tomorrow lunch, same place."

Helly was thoroughly confused. What was in that letter to make Draco react like that? Hurried footsteps sounded through the room, coming close to Helly.

A sour-faced crone was bustling toward her.

"Did I hear an owl? I will not tolerate those filthy animals desecrating my books! Disgusting creatures-"

"-Oh, shut up or I'll tell everyone about you and the caretaker in that closet." Oops. She hadn't meant to touch her mind, she reassured herself. And it wasn't like she had rifled through the old witch's thoughts- the memory was at the forefront of the hag's mind.

"But...how? I... Argus said no one would know!" The librarian protested.

Helly threw her a smirk as she gathered her things and left the library. As she walked through the corridors to the Great Hal, more than a few curious glances were thrown her way.

Evidently word had gotten round about Helly's own particular brand of magic, she thought to herself.

The Gryffindors Common Room was as usual full of laughter and gossiping. It was no surprise that all the conversations revolved around the two new Hogwarts students.

"I heard, she became a lion and tore apart Goyle because he tried to pull her tail. Apparently he's still in the infirmary!"

"Oh, Ronald, don't be ridiculous. Daphne Greengrass was there, and she told me Helly was just a panther, and didn't tear anyone apart, she was just a bit protective of Gee!" Ginny chastised her older brother.

Three shocked pairs of eyes turned to the fiery red-headed girl, who was lying on the sofa with her head in her boyfriend's lap.

Hermione spoke first. "Gin, since when have you been on gossiping terms with Daphne Greengrass?"

Harry, Ginny's boyfriend chimed in, "Yeah, you never told me you were chummy with a Slytherin!"

Her brother, Ron, said nothing, just directed a betrayed, puppy dog look to his youngest sibling.

"Honestly guys, they're not all that bad! I went shopping with a couple of times over the summer and found out she's lovely. Her family were neutral in the war anyway- they moved to Switzerland in her seventh year and came back when the war was over."

The other three considered this and shrugged- they didn't feel up to arguing. Ginny knew some pretty nasty hexes.

Hermione spoke again. "Anyway Ron, who did you get that ridiculous story from?"

Ron's gaze darted nervously around before answering his girlfriend sheepishly, "Uh... Lavender Brown?"

Hermione's jaw clenched.

"Lavender Brown? Lavender Brown! That interfering idiot? Actually, yes I do, you dim-witted fool!" Hermione pushed Ron off his perch on the sofa's arm, leaving him sprawled on the floor with a stunned expression on his face. His girlfriend continued to mutter Lavender's name accompanied by various insults, shooting incredulous looks at her boyfriend.

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other, and backpedalled to a safer discussion.

"How are we persuading Gee to be in Gryffindor?" Harry asked.

Ron, having righted himself, answered, "You're Harry Potter, aren't you? What more do we have to do?"

Hermione and Ginny, sharing an exasperated glance, simultaneously pushed Ron back off the sofa's arm. He landed with a dull thud.

"Ronald, the rumours going around are that those two weren't anywhere near the War. Nobody really knows where they came from, Helly and Gee aren't exactly the biggest of information sharers. Most times, we all know about the new student's back stories before the Sorting Hat's touched their heads, but these two? They've been here a day and all we know is they can't use a wand, but have a different kind of magic."

Ginny nodded. "Yes, perhaps Daphne could-"

"OH, GEORGE, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! Get up!" Ginny's sentence was interrupted by the loud, strident tones of Lavender Brown.

The four turned their attention to the other Weasley in the room.

"Why are you even here? You left school, remember? You don't go here anymore, yes?" Lavender continued, enunciating each word carefully.

Ginny and Ron had launched themselves across the room and were standing between the girl and their brother, expressions fierce.

"Leave him alone. He's staying at Hogwarts now- he feels better here. So, get lost, Lavender." Ron's low, angry tones cut through the cheeriness of the Common Room, making all eyes turn to the pair standing protectively over their sibling, who was staring morosely into the fire, seemingly not noticing the scene around him. One hand rested on where his ear should be, fingers stroking the scar tissue repetitively.

Lavender nodded quickly, gulping at the two wands directed at her throat and the red-headed witch and wizard on the other end, and ran up the dormitory stairs.

Everyone relaxed, going back to whatever they were doing before.

Hermione pulled Ron down on the sofa next to her and lightly pecked his cheek before nestling into his shoulder. Ron's hand came up unconsciously to stroke her hair, lightly tugging on a few strands.

"So... tactics for Gee?" Harry asked.

The four Gryffindors began to plot getting the new witch into their house, the two girls occasionally hitting their boyfriends over the head with a book as they spouted ridiculous ideas.

The high tower was filled with merriment, as deep below; in the dungeons of the castle Helly wondered what was in that letter of Draco's.


	8. Chapter 8: On We Go

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, not mine. Big woop.

**Author's note: **I seem to be doing a lot of these don't I? Oh well, just here to apologize for the lateness, I've had to do homework, and the plot bunnies aren't feeling very energetic. Sad face.

**Chapter 8:**

"_...And even put a stopper in death." _–Severus Snape, the Philosopher's Stone.

The rest of the week passed rather uneventfully for Helly. She continued to have her private lessons with Draco in the library, but even after a few questioning glances and carefully worded queries, Helly still had no idea what was in the mysterious letter of Draco's. He seemed to be as cold as usual, the only thing giving away his anxiety was the occasional worried glances toward the library window, before his brow smoothed out and he returned to his calm countenance.

Her Potions theory improved after each lunchtime with Draco and last lesson on Friday it was the lesson with Professor Slughorn.

Helly walked into the dark, musty classroom and was greeted with a horrible smell. All of her classmates, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, cringed around her, covering their noses, trying their best not to inhale.

The jovial Professor stood at the front, extended belly shaking as he chuckled at his student's reactions.

"Yes, yes, it stinks! The potion we will be brewing today is a Revitaliser. It will increase the consumer's energy, bringing a person back from the brink of death."

The various intakes of breath echoed around the reeking classroom.

Pansy spoke up. "Then why did we not use it in the war? There were so many dead that we could have saved!"

Her indignation was reflected on the faces of all the students in the room. They seemed to blame the flustered Slughorn for each of their individual losses.

"A very good question, Miss Parkinson. There are a few reasons for your dilemma. One, the main reason, is that most of the deaths in the war were from the Unforgivable- Avada Kedavra. No matter how hard you try, one cannot intercede between the time that the Killing curse is cast, until the time the intended dies. It is almost instantaneous, no potion or spell will save you.

"And the second reason is the long period in which it takes to brew this particular potion. It has to be brewed for six months and this will be half of your Potions N.E.W.T."

"SIX MONTHS? And I suppose we'll have to constantly supervise it?" Ron Weasley's voice broke in, outraged.

"Of course, you will, Ronald! This is N.E.W.T level Potions, not baking cupcakes! You have to actually work for this!"

The boy turned as red as his hair as his girlfriend so publicly reprimanded him. The class looked shocked as the usually well-mannered witch snapped at her boyfriend irritably. Hermione flushed pink at the attention directed toward her, but a corner of her mouth twitched upwards and her hand covered her boyfriend's in a small apology.

"Yes, uh... Thank you Miss Granger. Quite eloquently put. And yes, Mr Weasley, it will require looking after for the next six months. I am aware that this is a monumental task, so I will pair you off to those I believe will, shall we say, complement your own set of skills. There is an odd number in this class, and Mr Malfoy has kindly volunteered to go solo, gaining himself additional N.E.W.T points."

Hermione looked quite put out as she was paired with her boyfriend. In contrast, Ron looked delighted.

Helly was paired off with Blaise Zabini. He was good at Potions, but didn't display any of Draco Malfoy's natural ability or passion for the subject as the platinum-headed Slytherin bent over his parchment, furiously scribbling notes, crossing out Slughorn's instructions and writing his own. All the students around him were looking over at him confused and envious.

Helly's lesson went by in a happy blur. Blaise was an amusing companion. And the preparation of the lengthy potion was quick- merely slicing Fitzedelium roots and coating them with juice of a Mandrake to stoop for three days. Each partner had to check it each day on an evening to make sure it was turning the correct colour.

Since that was their only homework assignment from Slughorn, Helly left the Potions classroom with only two essays to complete over the weekend, History of Magic and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Most of the teachers didn't know what homework to set Gee and Helly, being that they knew almost nothing about magic.

Professor Binns didn't understand the two girls were uneducated in the ways of the wizarding world and merely treated Gee and Helly as transfer students from a school like Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. Professor. B. Weasley told Helly to write about how she would defend herself from hexes or jinxes using her own magic, in order to better understand how to teach her.

Helly rushed to her Common Room, dumped her school bag and books, changed into black skinny jeans and a white tank top and hurried out again to meet Gee by the Black Lake.

The two girls whiled away their evening, missing dinner in the Great Hall and chatted, laughing about the various failed romantic conquests of Ernie MacMillan, Gee being one of them.

Gee confided to Helly that she was not enjoying being with the Hufflepuffs- they were all quite soppy and many of the girls flirted with everything and anything that breathed. Gee had even caught Charlotte Townsson fluttering her eyelashes at the oblivious half-giant, Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

Helly meanwhile told Gee of her first Potions tutoring with Draco, and his letter. They both wondered what was inside it that made him act so violently.

Gee suggested it could be a message from a well-meaning bystander telling him to get the chilli from out of his arse.

The two girls giggled their way back to the old castle as dusk broke. Filch intercepted them as they reached the huge wooden doors and began to yell loudly.

"You little scallywags! Out of hours! I'd skin your pretty little scalp right here if Professor McGonagall let me! Detentio-"

The girls simply ran past him, hurtling through the corridors as the paintings protested loudly.

"Eh, up lass!"

"Slow down, ladies!"

"You'll get yourself a stitch!"

Gee and Helly waved at each other and headed toward their separate dormitories.

xXoOoXx

The next week started and Gee rolled out of her bed to find a neatly folded uniform at the bottom of her bed, completed by a blue tie. Gee was confused until she realised her week with the Hufflepuffs was over.

She looked at Hannah, who had just got out of bed. Hannah saw the tie and came to the same realisation as her friend.

"I'm going to miss you, Gee."

"Hey, we can still see each other! It's not like I'm moving country, just the house!"

Hannah sighed. "In Hogwarts, moving house is testament to moving country. No one really socialises outside their house."

Her sad expression made Gee feel rebellious.

"Of course we'll still be friends. I'm all for mixing things up." Gee winked conspiratorially at her friend and changed into her new school robes. She left the Hufflepuff Common Room for perhaps the last time and walked to the Great Hall with Hannah before ambling along to the Ravenclaw table.

She began to talk to a strange boy who was drawing on his pancake with peanut butter and pointing out the shapes his knife made, telling her she had something to look forward to tomorrow.

"Ah, you must do Divination then! Telling the future and all." Gee attempted a normal conversation with him as she finished her own toast.

"Do not say such preposterous things! Divination is a woolly art, whereas my technique _truly _broadens the mind and expands the soul to levels previously unimaginable!" He leant closer to Gee, and began in a low tone, as if telling her of a great secret none knew. "I simply let my mind take over my physical body, and my subconscious tells me whatever I look for. Now, I must go, the Grey Lady is expecting my retelling of the last Goblin War if the house elves fought instead of wizards and witches."

Eyebrows raised in astonishment as the rather short wizard bowed to her, kissing her hand lightly and hopped on one foot out the Great Hall, counting loudly every time he stumbled and making notes on a leathered piece of parchment with a yellow quill which screamed encouragement to him as he made his way slowly down the aisle.

His progress was watched by all four houses, with much amusement. Some Ravenclaws merely nodded at him and went back to whichever strange antics they were doing before.

What an introduction to the Ravenclaw house, Gee thought. Was everyone this barmy?


	9. Chapter 9: Roosting With The Ravenclaws

**Disclaimer:** 'Tis sadly not mine. I'll go sob. Sob Sob.

**Author's Note: **I KNOW, IT'S LATE, I'M SORRY. My only excuse is that I was busy. Sorry... And also, being without a beta, any pitiful mistakes are mine.

**Chapter 9: Roosting With The Ravenclaws**

"_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _

_if you've a ready mind, _

_Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind."- _The Sorting Hat, The Philosopher's Stone.

After the strange encounter with the Ravenclaw boy, Gee was led from the Hall by another Ravenclaw, a fairly sane girl this time. She had short, brown hair and quite a small stature. Her name was Shelley Loowfe.

Shelley took her hand and led her to an innocuous door, with no ornate carvings. It was simply a light brown, wooden door labelled, "Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor B. Weasley." It did not prepare Gee for what was behind it in any way possible.

The door creaked open as Gee pushed it with one finger. A slight thump indicated it had hit something behind it. Gee and Shelley peered around the wide door cautiously.

A beautiful, imperious-looking woman stared back at them with unblinking eyes. Yet at her neck the comparison to a human female ended. Golden fur overtook smooth skin on the muscular neck leading to wide paws tucked under her majestic chest. A sphinx. Gee had heard of them in fairytales but never thought she'd come face to face with one. But then again, this was Hogwarts. Anything was possible.

"Little ones, welcome. First, to pass, you must answer my riddle."

Shelley perked up. Of course, Gee thought. Ravenclaws loved intellectual puzzles.

"I have roots that no man can see, and I am taller than every tree. Up, up, up I go and yet I never grow."

Gee ran the riddle through her mind, turning it over and over in her head. Several solutions came into focus, yet as soon as Gee consciously thought them through, she discarded them instantly.

Until she found one that clicked.

"Mountain."

The sphinx bowed her head elegantly in acknowledgement and moved aside for the two girls. Shelley looked at Gee, a small smile on her face.

"Well done." A slight calculating look slid into her eyes before it vanished completely, leaving a vapid, dreamy expression.

Gee frowned at Shelley's turned back in puzzlement. Did she see that right?

"Hello! Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. My name is Professor Weasley. As you all know, the war has revealed many wizarding prejudices, showing us all that we hardly know anything of other races' defences against our own magic or anything of their culture. So, I have invited two associates from my old job in Egypt." The class looked at their new Professor with interest.

He continued. "We call the sphinx you just met Lairna. Her actual name is too long and practically unable to pronounce."

"Those who never free their minds are often unable to let their tongue loose, young wizard."

The class turned to the sphinx crouched at the back of the classroom. She looked down on them with a look of pity in her eyes, as if she knew the universe's worth and no one in the room factored into it greatly, by means of intellect, and therefore meant nothing.

A rough chuckle sounded at the other corner of the room, hidden by a thankful of strange, floating objects. A goblin stepped out. He had an overly large nose, drawing his whole face into a point. His chin almost matched his nose. Sunken pale lips were sandwiched between the protruding features. The eyes sparking disdain were half-hidden by the heavy brow. He had lines carved into each inch of his face, indicating his old age. His head barely topped Professor Weasley's waist, but his width well made up for his short stature.

Gee hid a small chuckle as she realised the goblin rather looked like a snowball topped by a bird's head. She didn't think it would appreciate her amusement.

"Shut it, Picktrip." Professor Weasley scolded the goblin.

The pupils spent the rest of the lesson talking to the sphinx and the goblin. Many students were clumped around Lairna. Even though she only spoke in riddles, she was a lot friendlier than Picktrip, the goblin. He tended to quiz all who approached him on what goblin-made ornaments they possessed. A Hufflepuff named Zacharias Smith got a particularly vicious verbal beating as he revealed his mother owned several pieces of goblin made jewellery, inherited from her own mother.

"It is not your mother's! Your grandmother should have given it back to us after she had finished with it! She had no right to pass it to your snivelling family, boy!" The goblin refused to calm until the Professor shot him a sharp look and delivered several threats. Picktrip subsided, muttering angrily under his breath, glaring at Zacharias.

Gee glanced at the goblin with a small measure of sympathy. He looked so alone on his chair. Even though he tried to act unaffected, Gee could see Picktrip looking at the crowd around the sphinx with a slight tinge of green envy surrounding him.

As Gee approached, Picktrip looked up.

"Guinevere Wynters. Or just Gee." Gee introduced herself.

"Picktrip. What brings you to my miserable corner, Miss Wynters? All the other boys and girls are avoiding me."

"I got tired of the riddles. You looked to be a more interesting companion." Gee felt she had to be diplomatic with this strange creature.

"Goblins are not social beings, Miss Wynters. I would hardly describe myself as a companion."

"Perhaps not, but you are certainly interesting."

The goblin gave Gee a piercing look, assessing her.

"Now, Mr Picktrip. Why is your goblin-metal better than wizarding metal?"

Once again, Picktrip pierced Gee with a shrewd look.

"I'm serious! I am a new person to this world, and in severe need of a balanced education."

Picktrip's eyes lit up.

xxXOOXxx

At the end of the lesson, many students turned from questioning Lairna to see the goblin and the new girl laughing together.

Professor Weasley was sat back in his chair, watching their exchange with curiosity.

Noting the time, Gee stood and shook Picktrip's hand. He bowed his head to the girl, stood also and left the room.

Professor Weasley dismissed his class. Each student nodded deferentially to the sphinx lying down next to the door as they made their way to their next class.

xxXOOXxx

Shelley lead Gee to the Ravenclaw tower on the west side of the castle at the end of the day. Gee was panting as she reached the top of the spiral staircase which ended with a stone landing with a door without a doorknob or a keyhole, but a single bronze knocker, shaped like an eagle.

Gee looked at Shelley in confusion. Should they knock?

But instead, the beak cracked open. A soft female spoke.

"Oh Lord! I am not worthy!

I bend my limbs to the ground.

I cry, yet without a sound.

Let me drink of waters deep,

And in silence I will weep."

Gee was puzzled. The Hufflepuffs had a barrel-tapping rhythm to remember, and the Ravenclaws had to figure out riddles?

Shelley frowned at the knocker, deep in thought. Gee had no idea what the answer was, so she thought she'd wait for Shelley to figure it out.

The two girls stood there for more than five minutes before a blonde-haired girl skipped up the steps and paused before the knocker. The eagle repeated it's riddle and the girl smiled. She turned to Shelley.

"It's a good one. Have you got it, Shelley?"

"No, Luna."

"A shame. Well's it's a weeping willow of course!"

Luna grabbed Gee and pulled her through the open door.

"This is our Common Room. It's lovely in here. It's very high up though, so if you have a fear of heights, stay away from the windows. You could fall through, and then there'd be a nasty mess to clean up.

Luna skipped away.

Gee looked around the airy room to the windows. They had glass in- why would the girl warn her to not fall off the tower if there was solid glass in the way? Odd- but then again she is a Ravenclaw, Gee mused. She should be used to the crazy Ravenclaws by now.

Gee's gaze wandered around the room. It was wide and circular, with a thick midnight blue carpet covering the floor. The arched windows were hung in blue and bronze silks, and the domed ceiling was a dark, dark blue, painted with glittering silver stars. Ravenclaws were dotted around the Common, doing homework or engaging in strange activities which at least made some sense to them, because Gee had no idea what their aim was. One boy was simply cracking eggs from a height and recording what colour the yolk was.

Looking out the window, Gee had a wonderful view of the school grounds. She could see the dark Forbidden Forest, the Black Lake, a large rectangular pitch where Gee could see tiny, red figures whizzing about, the Herbology greenhouses and the huge hulking mountains surrounding Hogwarts.

Gee followed a girl up elegant bronze stairs to find a polished wooden door on her right, upon it a bluish metal plate inscribed with the words, "Seventh and Eighth Year Girls."

Gee entered the room and was pointed to her bed. The four-poster bed covered in a sky-blue silk eiderdown was stylish, but was it comfortable?

Gee sank onto the bed, moaning quietly. The bed fit to her shape perfectly. How would she ever be able to sleep on another bed ever again, she had been spoiled by this one.

The evening passed quickly and Gee went to sleep thinking," Whichever house I pick, this bed is coming with me."

**Hey! Please review, I love reading them all :D**


	10. Chapter 10: Loopy With Luna

**Disclaimer:**Not mine.

**Chapter 10: Loopy with Luna, Dallying with Draco**

_"I think they think I'm a bit odd, you know. Some people call me 'Loony' Lovegood, actually."_- Luna Lovegood, Order of the Phoenix.

By the end of the day, Gee was completely weighed down with essays. She had Charms, Divination, Transfiguration and had been requested to aid Professor Sprout in the difficult growing of a rare Acromantula vine.

After a long, tiring day, Gee hurried to the Ravenclaw Common Room to find the blonde who'd rescued her and Shelley from the riddle telling bronze eagle yesterday. She was surrounded by a group of first and second-years, all in deep thought.

Gee sighed, her bag so heavy it pulled down her shoulder and paused in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room door. The bronze eagle opened its beak and sang melodiously, _"I can be long, I can be short._

_I can be grown and I can be bought. _

_I can be painted or left bare._

_I can be round, or square._

_What am I?"_

"Fingernails," Gee grumbled and bustled through the door, thumping her bag down on an elegant oak table. She pulled her books out and began to write her Charms essay- 10 Charms she could do using her own magic and how.

Luna sat down next to her and pulled out her own Charms. The sound of a pen and a quill scratching over the respective paper and parchment filled the air. Around them, all the Ravenclaws were bent over their own essays. It was eerily quiet.

Hours passed until Gee finally finished all her homework. She shook and blew on her hand- it was so cramped from the mountains of writing she had to do.

Looking up, Gee was disturbed to see Luna, chin in hands, staring at Gee. Luna quirked an eyebrow.

"How do they set you homework when you can't do proper magic?"

Gee was taken aback by the blonde's blunt question.

"They're setting me essays on how I would use my own magic to the same effects as your type of magic."

Luna nodded and seemed to process that for a moment. "Are there others like you?"

"We don't know anyone else who can. Helly and I are both orphans- different birth parents though. We each moved from foster home to foster home because they didn't know how to deal with the freak accidents that occurred when we stayed there. Finally we got dumped into an orphanage and found each other. We got adopted together and figured we should keep our magic hidden. We managed to keep it concealed for about seven years until I got sentimental and made a little girl's rabbit better. Suffice to say, the mother got a little freaked out when the rabbit went from being half-dead to sprightly half a minute. She called the police, the ambulance _and _the fire service."

"I would have called the Cornack Lilies. They usually respond quicker than those Nee-Naws of yours."

Gee giggled. "Well, I'm sure if she'd had their number she would have. But in any case, Professor McGonagall came before the Nee-Naws. She took us to the Leaky Cauldron, called our adopted parents, Lea and James, there and told us all about Hogwarts. Helly and I confessed about our magic, and thankfully Lea and James accepted us. They finally realised who'd been keeping their plants alive for the past seven years!"

The two girls laughed together. They talked for another half-hour before Luna excused herself.

"Neville wants me in the greenhouses five minutes ago. He is to show me his orange Pleftian flower. The first to grow in Britain apparently." Luna sighed.

"I'm sorry for keeping you late. You don't seem to be particularly excited for him. Do you not like this Neville?"

"I like him enough to talk to him. However I am not keen on his plants. All sorts of creatures hang around in the greenhouses. It's crawling with Wrackspurts. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy, you know."

Luna left Gee, sympathising with the poor boy, Neville. Luna obviously wasn't particularly into him.

_xxXOXxx_

The next day, Helly had her Potions tutor lesson with Draco.

She walked to their normal study table and found Draco sitting there, head in his hands, staring blankly at the table.

Helly lightly touched his shoulder.

"Draco?"

He looked up to Helly, desperation in his eyes.

"My father dies tomorrow. His soul will be sucked out by a Dementor, one of the last to receive that particular sentence." His tone was matter of fact but his voice caught on the last word.

"Are you okay?" Helly asked the customary question.

"No. The man who raised me to be a monster, to serve under that terrible, evil man is going to have everything he is or ever was sucked out of his mouth. And he's personally asked me to be there. He wants me to be a witness to his last moments. Do I go?"

Helly set down opposite Draco. She tapped her fingers against the wood as she tried to formulate the right response. She needed Gee, Helly was no good at comforting a tormented soul, she thought to herself.

"Yes. He's your father, no matter what he did to you in the past."

Draco's brow furrowed and he looked out the window. He contemplated her answer for a minute in stony silence before scribbling on a small bit of parchment. Helly fidgeted in her seat.

"Fine. I'll go. I have to go tell McGonagall about my little vacation." Draco smirked self-deprecatingly and strolled out the library door.

Well, at least she found out what the letter was about, Helly thought.

She looked down to the table where in Draco's scrawling script were his notes on the Cheering Draught with a small memo jotted down on the piece of parchment which she had seen Draco writing beforehand.

'Read and make your own notes. I can't be bothered to spoon feed you today.'

The corner of Helly's mouth lifted.

A Cheering Draught.

Ironic.


	11. Chapter 11: Bit Evil

******Disclaimer: **OKAY, I ADMIT IT, THIS IS ALL MINE. I OWN HARRY POTTER. ... ... ... ... No, not really. I only take the idea and twist it a little. Nothing's mine. Boo hoo.

**Author's Note: **Alright, I know this is late. Like, way late. But it may surprise you to find that I am beginning to develop a wonderful life... Full of revision and homework. Yay. My GCSE mocks are coming up (don't know the term, then there's a wonderful thing called Google), and I find myself buried under a huge ton of work to do. So I'm going to upload as much as possible, but be prepared for less chapters. Sorry. :(

**Chapter 11: **

_"You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."_- Albus Dumbledore, Order of the Phoenix.

Gee spent the week dashing between her lessons and the Common Room. It seemed that Ravenclaw's workaholic vibe was really getting to her- she spent the majority of her time bent over a book. Her fingers ached with cramp from all the writing she did.

Friday came around quickly and Gee was glad to find it was Care of Magical Creatures first thing, with the Hufflepuffs. She trooped down to the Black Lake where their lesson was taking place. Luna held her hand and skipped all the way across the school grounds with her. Gee rather felt like a mother holding back a small, energetic child.

The massive, hairy half-giant Hagrid was waiting for the class by the vast lake. He had a huge grin on his face and was petting a slimy tentacle which flopped around on the beach in lazy contentment.

"'Ello! I've something excitin' fer yer today- we're examining the Gian' Squid!" Hagrid said to his class once they had all assembled in front of him. He was bouncing around on the balls of his feet, he was so enthusiastic.

His class groaned. Poking around a slippery squid was not exactly their idea of "exciting". They gathered around the wiggling tentacle and grimaced. A Hufflepuff nudged it with her foot and it retracted slightly. An eye surfaced and gazed around, coming to rest on the Hufflepuff girl who had prodded it. It swam closer and closer. The group slowly edged back, but the girl was frozen in place.

"Saffy!"

The girl didn't respond. The eye leisurely swam nearer until it reached the shore where its mouth rose, yawning, revealing a huge, cavernous hole in the grey, fleshy skin. Saffy was completely stationary, shaking in terror. Many students looked to Hagrid in a plea for him to help, but he simply stood there, smiling jovially.

The gust of air as the Giant Squid breathed blew Saffy's hair backward. A sudden sharp noise cracked the air and the students flinched. A foul stench permeated the air and globules of mucus were splattered all over the ground, and hung in Saffy's hair. The Giant Squid had burped.

"Chuff chuff chuff chuff." The Squid sank below the water, echoing Hagrid's hearty laughs.

"That'll teach yer, Saffy! The Giant Squid don' need messin' 'round with, he's a sensitive guy! 'E needs pettin', not proddin'."

The class spent the rest of the lesson stroking the Squid's tentacles and giggling as it squirmed when they tickled it. Suddenly it recoiled, drawing all its body into the water. In the shallows, there was quite clear water and everyone could see the Squid huddled under the water, retreating backwards into the lake's depth. A plume of red fluid drifted to the top of the lake.

"'E's bleedin'! What 'appened to 'im?" Hagrid protested loudly.

All eyes turned to a pale, dark-haired boy intently examining a vial of deep red liquid. He shook it a few times, watching the viscous fluid drip down the glass. He looked up at his classmates and shrugged his thin shoulders.

"Nobody has yet discovered the properties of squid blood. I hope to be the first to reveal these secrets to the world."

"Adam! These are sensitive creatures and they don' like the interferin' of you lot!"

Bubbles rose in the lake, popping as they reached the air. As each bubble burst, a whining sound pierced the air. The Giant Squid was crying.

Gee's fingers clenched. She needed to help it.

Taking a few steps back, Gee breathed in deeply. She measured the distance between her and the Lake and ran fast toward it, diving at the last second. She swam down, reaching for the injured squid. She pinched the wound together and rubbed it, pushing a little bit of herself into the creature. The Giant Squid keened and flicked her face with another tentacle, reprimanding her.

Gee suddenly realised something important. Something very important.

She couldn't swim.

She held her breath for as long as she could, attempting to paddle upwards. Her arms wind-milled desperately in the water. She just kept sinking despite her best efforts. The light of the sun shining through the water got dimmer and dimmer. Gee's hand extended up, fingers stretching, elongating.

Gee was starved of breath. Her natural reflexes made her gulp in a huge lungful. Of water. Choking, her hands going to her throat instead of focusing on swimming to the surface, Gee sank even further.

Something wrapped around her waist and threw her up, into the air. She flew quite high, so landed with a thump on the soft grass.

She coughed up the volume of water she had inhaled, and gave her deprived lungs oxygen. Gee had never breathed in so deeply. The air had never been so delicious.

xxXOXxx

Gee woke in the hospital wing surrounded by curious face. She looked around. Each of her visitors were Ravenclaws, except Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff who stood at the foot of her bed, holding a large bouquet of pink flowers. The rest of them had either clipboards, stopwatches or thermometers. She had been woken by a auburn girl prodding her with said thermometer.

"You've been out for a day. The squid threw you approximately five meters above the water surface and so you landed with the force of a small falling boulder."

"That's relatively fast, so it's no surprise you broke both legs on impact. Madam Pomfrey fixed those within an hour though, so you're fine now."

Gee raised her eyebrows at the cold, analytical tone of a Ravenclaw brother and sister.

Hannah grinned awkwardly. "What they are trying to say is that we all hope you're okay and that you recover fast! I brought you some flowers to brighten up your bed, it looked a bit grim."

Gee was touched by her thoughtfulness. She took them from the girl and placed them on her bedside table, smiling warmly in thanks.

The Ravenclaws nodded to her, and left abruptly. Hannah patted her shoulder and also walked away, glancing back with a smile.

Well, that was Friday over, Gee mused to herself.

A small cough alerted Gee to another's presence. She looked to her side and saw a tall, red-headed boy lying on the bed next to her. he was staring morosely at the ceiling, heavily bandaged hand lying next to him limply.

"Hello, I'm Gee."

"George." He didn't even turn to answer her.

"Hey. Are you alright? You seem a little down."

"Now that is the understatement of the century."


	12. Chapter 12: Half a Twin, Half a Person

**Disclaimer:**If you don't know that nothing here is mine, then you're a night troll.

**Author's Note:** I am still alive. Buried under mountains of revision, but alive so no panic please. -Main reason there has been LITERALLY no activity on this account. I know this is short, but it's all I could do in between learning Hitler's entire life story and aims. Anyways, on with the story...

**Chapter 12: Half a Twin, Half a Person **

_"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"_

_"Oh no, Ron," came Fred's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up." _– J.K. Rowling, Goblet of Fire.

Gee looked at the pitiful lump in the duvets in the bed next to her. Since their short conversation, George had not spoken again, but instead buried himself in the bed. His back was to her and she took the time to examine him.

His red hair was long and unkempt. His voice, when she'd heard it, was strained and tense. His forehead was no different- there were lines carved into it that no man his age should possess.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Madam Pomfrey bustled into the hospital wing.

"How are we doing today? Miss Wynters, you should be up and well, the potion I gave you last night will have repaired any lasting damage to your bones. Mr Weasley, let's take a look at that hand. It should have healed partially overnight. Why you ever stuck it in that fire, I have no idea."

Gee's mouth fell open in shock. He had _voluntarily _stuck his hand in a fire? What would possess anyone to do such a thing?

"I was bored."

Madam Pomfrey tutted and unwound his bandaged hand. It was scarred and George didn't move it much. When the matron prodded the scar tissue tentatively to check its progress, George winced and cursed loudly.

"Mr Weasley! I won't be having that type of language in my ward! Now this will take a few more hours until it is completely healed. Miss Wynters, although you are completely healed, could you stay here to talk with Mr Weasley. I have a feeling he doesn't talk to people much."

She left the infirmary. George rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to stay. I'm not the most sociable person in the world."

"Oh shush you. I'll stay, but you're gonna have to talk to me. I suddenly feel an urge to share things with you, like my undeniable urges to stick my hands in a fire. How about you?"

George smirked. "As I said, I was bored. And yourself diving into the Black Lake, with one heroic mission- to save a Giant Squid from a devastating future? What was that about?" His voice was laden with sarcasm.

"No, that was because I have a need to help those who require it. Now I've shared, fancying contributing to story-time?"

"If I told you mine, you'd be here for a long time."

"Then I'll settle down." Gee got up from her bed, dragged her duvet over to George and sat down on his bed, cross-legged and facing him. She pulled the bedding around her shoulders and stared at George intensely.

"So. What has you so miserable that you stick your hand in a fire?" Gee started.

George looked at her. The corner of his lip curled and time passed as he considered whether to answer or not.

"I used to be a twin." He let that forlorn statement hang in the air. Gee froze. She hadn't expected that. She waited, not wanting to interrupt George's musing.

"In the War, my brother and I were defending the corridors of Hogwarts. We got separated and he never came back. I didn't even see him before he died. I just saw his cold, lifeless body lying on a pallet on an equally cold stone floor. Ha, stone-cold, both of them." George picked at the bedclothes. "Why am I telling this? I haven't even talked to my family about him."

"I just have that sort of face. Why do you not call him by name?" Her questioning was abrupt. His gaze tracked from her face to the corner of the room.

"Nobody notices that. It's just a habit. I can't anymore. I don't even think of him by name anymore. I just- can't."

Gee took George's non-scarred hand in her own, tracing his skin lightly with one forefinger.

"Say it. Say it now. Who is it going to hurt?"

After a long, drawn-out pause, George answered. "Me." His voice throbbed with emotion on the small word.

Another elongated pause as Gee considered how to respond.

"Get it over with; if you can't now then you'll never be able to."

He looked at her with a plea in his eyes. He clearly wanted the easy way out. Unfortunately, with death, there was no easy way out. There were only the hard facts to face, and one of them was that George was the one alive. His twin had left him.

"Fr-Fr...Fre..." George tailed off. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. How many times have you said his name in your life? You can say it now."

The minutes stretched out in front of the two adolescents before George interrupted the quiet.

"Fred."

**Aha! I know Gee came across a bit mean, but she wants George to get better. **

**Lots of love, FeatheredQuill :)**


End file.
